Of Demons and Heroes
by shaolin author
Summary: "She was a damsel, he could see that much. And he was fairly certain she was in distress." [An AU IchiHime story based on Hercules]


**Of Demons and Heroes **

**Summary: **"She was a damsel, he could see that much. And he was fairly certain she was in distress." [An AU Ichihime story based on Hercules]

_**intro;**_ farewell

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"_Hercules, who subdued and destroyed monsters, bandits, and criminals, was justly famous and renowned for his great courage...but it was his wisdom and great soul that earned those honors; noble blood, physical strength, and political power just aren't good enough_

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As a general rule of thumb, it was always good to assume that Soul Society was always involved in some sort of crisis. Moments of peace were few and far between. In fact, most residents couldn't remember even a single day where they hadn't been rushing around preparing themselves from an imminent enemy attack.

Until today.

They were still involved in a crisis, (remember that rule of thumb?), but it was a _good_ kind of crisis. If you're willing to admit that those sorts of crisis' exist.

Isshin Kurosaki smirked as he strode slowly through the throng of panicked Shinigami.

"_Ahhh, Captain! Is this colour ok?"_

"_Captain! I can't find Captain Urahara or Shiba-san, the decorations may not be ready in time. Do you have a plan B?" _

"_Captain, Yachiru has eaten the cake." _

Isshin chuckled, brushing past his frazzled subordinates without bothering to answer any of their desperate questions. They would sort it out.

"All this fuss, just for you," he muttered, "and you don't even know what's going on, do you?"

The bundle that was carefully wrapped in soft cloth around his waist and back stirred slightly, as if it somehow understood it was being spoken to.

"That's what I thought," Isshin sighed as the bundle stopped stirring. Rolling his eyes, he picked up the pace, he was already running late and didn't want to test his luck any longer. As he strode through the streets of Seireitei, many more of his subordinates – and even people from other divisions – attempted to interrupt him to ask him a question he no doubt didn't care for the answer.

After the fifth person stopped him, he was sorely tempted to take to the roofs of Seireitei and hop from building to building. Fortunately, he remembered the verbal lashing he had received from his wife after he had tried it once before with the bundle strapped to his back. Apparently it didn't matter how careful he was, and that he was a _Captain_ who could run across rooftops with his eyes closed, it was apparently unacceptable.

"You're a lot of hassle you know?" he grumbled as he skilfully sidestepped yet another frazzled Shinigami and dove into the building he had been aiming for.

The bundle said nothing. Isshin rolled his eyes.

"_You're late!" _

Despite the sharp snap in her tone, Isshin couldn't bring himself to roll his eyes at his wife. Mainly because the action could leave him maimed, but also because he found it simply impossible to feel feelings of irritation towards her.

"Masaki-_chaaaan_" he howled, dramatically running towards her, "I've had a terrible morning. Come, give your lover a kis-_ooomph," _he howled as he ran into her outstretched hand, "I thought we agreed you'd stop doing that?"

To his dismay, she had already lost interest in him and was quickly tugging the bundle away from him.

"_Ah_ you tied it wrong again," she scolded, "you need to be careful Isshin. I know how fast you like to run. You'll drop him one of these days!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, knowing better than to argue.

"He's reckless isn't he, your daddy?" Masaki cooed as she successfully unwrapped their son from the mess of cloth Isshin had created and cradled him against her chest, "are you excited for your big day?"

"He doesn't even know what's happening," Isshin remarked as he watched his wife shower their newborn son in kisses, "this whole ceremony is ridiculous if you ask me."

Masaki tutted as she hefted their son into a cradling position before she began walking briskly, "you know we can't do anything about that."

"I know, I know," he admitted reluctantly as he fell in step with his wife, "you'd think the old man would realise how outdated this whole thing is by now."

Masaki laughed, "you, who know him better than most, should probably realise that he's a very old fashioned man. When you have your turn-"

"_If_."

"_If _you have your turn, you can change it. But for now...for now, this is the path our son must take. _Smile, _Isshin, this is supposed to be a happy day."

It was at that moment their son decided to open his eyes. Masaki and Isshin both watched as he blearily opened his eyes and blinked slowly.

"He looks like you," Masaki breathed as she stared into his blinking bright brown eyes, "_gorgeous_."

And Isshin couldn't help but smile.

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In a separate world, not too far from Isshin and Masaki's own world, another person smiled.

But where Isshin's smile was from the heart and filled with an overwhelming amount of love towards his small family, this mans smile was hollow and without care nor love.

"_P-pl-please help me. How did I...how did I get here? I...I died. I know, but...but...where am I?"_

His smile dropped from his face as he watched the weeping man before him. He was getting tired of his subordinates bringing their prey back before dealing with them properly.

"_Please. I can see you out there. Help. Me." _

Rolling his eyes, he turned away, "Grimmjow," he barked.

In an instance, the blue haired man was reluctantly pushing himself away from the table, "Aizen?" the note of sullenness wasn't hidden well in his voice, though Aizen chose to ignore it. The man would learn respect sooner or later.

"That man outside, one of your," he sneered, "_peers_, brought him back. Deal with it."

Grimmjow hesitated for barely a second before he nodded and darted out of the cold room.

"_Are you here to help me?" _

Aizen's grim smile returned as he settled himself down on his seat, listening carefully to the altercation outside.

"_Who are you? How did I get her-" _

The mans screams echoed eerily throughout the room. Not a single soul flinched. They were more than used to the sound. Grimmjow returned shortly, and reclaimed his seat.

"Szayel," Aizen said, his voice cutting across the silence like a blade, as soon as Grimmjow had sat back down, "is the formula I asked for ready?"

The pink haired man nodded before sliding a small container towards Aizen.

"It'll kill him?"

Szayel reluctantly shook his head, "I was unable to create a formula to kill the boy in such a short amount of time. My apologies," he bowed his head, "this, however, will take away his powers. From then, you will be able to kill him with ease."

Aizen nodded. It wasn't what he had been hoping for, but it would do, "Gin, Tousen you will take the boy tonight."

The two men looked up at him from their seats.

"Us?" the silver haired man, Gin, said, a frown of confusion on his face, "tonight of all nights?"

"Don't fail me," Aizen said simply, "I want the child dead, Gin. No room for error," he warned before waving a hand to dismiss his subordinates. Gin hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and following his peers out of the room, leaving Aizen alone.

He had been waiting for this day for so long. _So _long. It almost pained him to think of the many hours and days he'd spent waiting for this day to come.

He wondered if he would feel any remorse for killing his nephew.

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The streets of Seireitei were crowded with hundreds and thousands of souls, all desperately squeezing past one another, trying to get the best view.

Isshin frowned as he peered out of a window, "they're so noisy. Won't they scare him?"

Still cradling their son in her arms, Masaki walked up behind him and rested her head on his back, "you worry too much. He'll be fine."

In the near distance, he could hear the sound of drums, "the old mans started his speech already."

"He started it a while ago. You were meant to go out with him, but you were too busy sulking."

"I was _not _sulking. I was brooding. _Handsomely." _he waggled his eyebrows as he turned around, intending to place a kiss on Masaki's forehead.

Unfortunately, she was more than used to Isshin's ways and easily sidestepped him.

"Be_have_, Isshin," she scolded, "we have to go out soon. This is a serious event."

Isshin very nearly rolled his eyes.

The sounds of drums suddenly increased, along with the roars of the crowd.

"_...the 33rd heir to role of Captain Commander..." _

"It's time," Masaki breathed, taking a step forward.

"It's time," Isshin agreed grimly as they both walked forwards out onto the balcony before them.

They both gasped lightly as they stared down at the sea of black robes, shoving and pushing against the crowd as they tried to get a better look at the child.

"The child, please,"

Isshin nodded at his father, the current Captain Commander of the Gotei 13, and gently took his son from Masaki's hands. She smiled weakly as the boy stirred as he was moved. He was awake now, bright brown eyes moving in every direction, almost as if he were trying to commit the event to memory.

"Come on boy," Isshin muttered, hefting his son in his arms as he walked towards his own father.

"Citizens of Soul Society," the Captain Commander boomed, commanding a hushed silence with his tone, "I present to you, the 33rd heir to the role of Captain Commander, Captain Isshin Kurosaki!"

Isshin couldn't help but smirk at the way his father sniffed disdainfully at the use of his last name. He had always hated that he had taken his wife's name, instead of his own, _Yamamoto._

"Captain Kurosaki," he boomed before bowing his head in faux politeness.

Isshin nodded and took a step forwards, lifting his son slightly into the air, "citizens of Soul Society," he yelled, noting painfully that his voice lacked the authority his fathers had, "I present to you, the 34th heir to the role of Captain Commander..." he hesitated for a brief second and glanced at Masaki who nodded in encouragement.

"The 34th heir to the role of Captain Commander..._Ichigo Kurosaki."_

The roar the came from the crowd was deafening.

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"_He's adorable!" _

"_Ne, Masaki-san, you've got a ladies man on your hands here!"_

"_Look at his chubby fingers!"_

"_Aren't you a handsome boy, hm little one?"_

"_Thank the heavens he's got your looks."_

"_I think he looks like Captain Isshin?"_

"_You're blind, clearly he's all Masaki-san!"_

Masaki smiled as her friends stepped up to her and cooed congratulations or admissions of shock at how cute her son was. The formal ceremony was long since over, now they were inside one of the bigger division halls having a party of sorts.

"Ichigo. What a wonderful name."

"Thank you, Captain Unohana," Masaki turned to her Captain and smiled brightly, "it suits him, right?"

The maternal woman smiled and placed a soft hand over Ichigo's forehead, "very well. He'll be a strong one."

Masaki nearly snorted, "as if Isshin would allow him to be anything but."

Unohana smiled, "well, I'm afraid I have to be off. I promised Zaraki I'd take a look at Yachiru. Something about overeating...again."

Masaki laughed and waved her Captain away, "you're already so popular," she mused, bouncing Ichigo gently on her knees, "all these people...expecting great things from you. I wonder if you feel the pressure yet?"

"I wonder."

She froze and instinctively clutched Ichigo towards her chest as she looked up at the man who had just approached their little corner of the hall.

"Aizen," she said coldly.

"Masaki-_chan_," Aizen purred, smiling at her with what he probably imagined was a look of kindness. It made her skin crawl.

"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.

"Am I not a Shinigami of Soul Society?" he asked back, eyes widening, "of course I wanted to get a first hand look at the...man...who will one day rule over me."

"I thought you threw away your allegiance to Soul Society when you decided to reign like a King in Hueco Mundo."

"Now, now, Masaki-_chan_," Aizen tutted, "you know it wasn't like that. I just needed a change of scenery."

"And so now you do you bidding with Hollows and demons," she said coldly, "you may have fooled your father Aizen, but you have not fooled us. You are no ally to Soul Society. Drop the pretence."

To her surprise, Aizen merely chuckled. Much like his smile, the sound sent a shiver down her spine.

"My, my, you've become outspoken since my departure, eh Masaki-_chan_? So hostile, when all I wanted to do was see my nephew. Will you deny an uncle even that simple joy?"

Before she had the chance to answer his question with a firm, _get the hell out of here_, Isshin appeared behind him.

"Aizen?" he asked, a small frown on his face, "why a-"

"Why am I here? Yes, yes, I've already been through this round of questioning with your _darling _wife," he spoke as if they were being unreasonable and simply tiresome, "I came to wish my nephew well, is that a crime now?"

"Fleeing Soul Society to live with our enemy certainly is," Masaki sniffed.

"And I have been punished accordingly. Banished to Hueco Mundo for the rest of my days to keep the Hollow vermin in check. Never to become Captain Commander. A title, this little one will have," he gestured towards Ichigo, "a child who has not even proved his worth. Yes Masaki-_chan_, I daresay I have been punished accordingly."

His tone was icy.

Isshin waved his hands suddenly, "let's not argue," he said quickly, "it is a surprise you're here Aizen, we...we weren't expecting you. But, as long as you bear my family no ill will, I won't argue. Despite your wrongs, you are still my brother."

Masaki rolled her eyes. Isshin was always too forgiving of his brothers wrongs. Sighing, she shifted a little to give Aizen a better view of Ichigo, "there," she said curtly, making her displeasure obvious.

Aizen took a step forwards and cautiously outstretched his arms, "may I?"

If she had been alone, she would have snarled at him in response. As it stood, she could see Isshin nodding slightly out of the corner of her eye.

"Only for a moment," she warned as she handed her son over to, quite possibly, her least favourite person in the universe.

Aizen smirked as he took Ichigo and held him at arms length.

If she didn't detest Aizen so much, she would have found his position almost comical. He was holding her son as if he were afraid of him.

Ichigo squirmed in his grasp.

Aizen simply hummed before he returned the child began into Masaki's open arms, "thank you."

"Is that all, you aren't going to wish him well? Just stare at him?"

Aizen smiled that faux-smile of his again, "I wish him well," he said simply before inclining his head and turning away. Masaki and Isshin watched in silence as he left the hall.

"_Really_" Masaki huffed, "that brother of yours. How are you both so different?"

"He's not that bad..."

"He's a bastard. Making him lord over Hueco Mundo was the smartest thing your fathers ever one," she said plainly, bringing Ichigo up to her face, "it'd be better if Ichigo didn't know his uncle was such a cruel man."

As she looked into Ichigo's eyes, her frown quickly disappeared and was replaced with a loving smile.

"Ah well, you won't remember any of this anyway."

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In retrospect, breaking into Soul Society shouldn't have been so easy.

Running through the empty streets of Seireitei shouldn't have been a breeze.

And breaking into the home of one of the most powerful Captains in the Gotei 13 shouldn't have been a piece of cake.

But as Gin and Tosen fled the now _very _awake Soul Society, they decided they weren't going to complain about it.

Maybe this would be the final straw that would let them know they needed to make some serious security adjustments after all.

The baby in Gin's arms stirred slightly and let out a tired wail as he hopped from rooftop to rooftop. In the distance he could hear the sounds of alarms and shouts and heavy footsteps trailing pathetically after them.

The baby sniffed and rolled into Gin's chest.

He had to admit, snuffing out a child wasn't high on his list of things he liked doing. He had no problem going head to head to the whole of the Gotei 13 or even killing a few Shinigami who just happened to annoy him.

But a child?

He shook his head and sped up a little, catching up with Tosen. Those thoughts wouldn't do any good.

"How much longer?" he asked as they ran across the sky with ease.

"Any second now."

Almost as soon as he had spoken, a set of doors materialised mid air and both men dove through them without hesitating.

The darkness of the pathway they found themselves in seemed to scare the baby, for he began to wail. Loudly.

Gin grit his teeth as the fled through the pathway, begging for the end to come soon. With each step he felt his resolve slowly ebbing away.

By the time the end door finally opened, the child was hysterical, almost as if he sensed he had been stolen from his home and was being taken to his doom.

"You have the formula?" Tosen asked.

They were in a park. Not the most inconspicuous of places to commit murder, but that was where the door had opened. The child had been placed on a bench on his back.

"Hurry. His wails will be heard, even if they can't see him."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he pulled the light pink formula out of his robes, "hold him down."

Tosen nodded and reached out to hold the crying babe down.

"Forgive me," Gin muttered as he began to force feed the formula to the child. After a few seconds of squirming he began to drinking the formula more willingly.

"Hurry," Tosen urged, "someone is coming."

Gin nodded. He too could sense the veiled presence making its way towards them.

"Human?"

Tosen shrugged, "I can't tell. A human who would be able to sense us most probably. We cannot be caught, Gin."

"Yeah, yeah, I _know_," Gin snapped. He was tired of Tosen giving him the orders all the time, "come on you brat. Drink up."

The formula was nearly finished, there was barely an inch left in it, there-

"I felt it over here."

Gin dropped the formula to the ground, spilling the last few drops over the grass.

"_Gin_" Tosen hissed.

He had no time to reprimand his partner, for the owner of the voice made itself clear. Both Gin and Tosen wordlessly shunpo'ed away, fleeing just far enough that they could spy on the scene unfolding around them without being sensed.

"Oi, oi," a second voice joined the mix, "Kisuke, you were imagining it. There's nothing out here."

"It was brief, but I definitely...ah hah!"

"Is that who I think it is?" Tosen whispered, remembering the familiar reiatsu that had began to faintly the surround the area.

Gin nodded, not caring that his partner couldn't see the action. Before them stood, Captain's Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihoin. What they were doing in the human world, he didn't care to know.

"What the hell is that?" Yoruichi snapped as they approached the wailing baby.

"I believe it's called a baby," Kisuke replied dryly, gently poking the baby's stomach with the bottom of his walking stick.

Gin didn't need to see her up close to know she rolled her eyes at his reply.

"I _meant_, what the hell is it doing here," she clarified.

"This isn't a normal child," Kisuke said sombrely, "take a look at him Yoruichi. Can you sense anything?"

Silence followed his question before Yoruichi answered, "...no. Not a damn thing. I should be able to sense something. Even from human babies."

"He isn't human," his tone was sad as he reached out to pick the crying child up, "he's a soul."

"From...from Soul Society?!"

"Mm. And his life force has been stolen. Not all of it, but enough. Neither soul nor human. What an interesting child."

"Oi, oi, you aren't turning this poor creature into another one of your science experiments, you hear me?"

"Yes, yes," Kisuke muttered as he pressed the child close to his chest and surveyed the area with narrowed eyes, "let's go."

Within seconds, they were gone, leaving Gin and Tosen alone.

"What do we do?" Tosen asked eventually.

Gin hummed. On the one hand, they could finish the task they had been given and rekidnap the boy and successfully kill him off. On the other hand, Urahara and Shihoin were two of the most talented Captains in the Gotei 13. What they were doing in the human world was beyond him, and he didn't care to find out.

"We're going back."

"But the child."

"The child is neither human nor soul. He cannot return to Soul Society. He won't bother Aizen's plans."

Tosen said nothing.

"Let's go."

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That night, a mother wept for the son she would never see again.

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_**A/N: **_So this is a slight Hercules AU, as in it's based on the Hercules plot but still with the basic Shinigami Bleach plot.

The position of Captain Commander has been given a royal twist in this fic. So, you inherit the title by your birth status, not because you're the strongest Shinigami ever to walk. That scene felt like something out of the Lion King LOL.

Also, timing is probably a bit weird, as in having Yachiru around when Isshin is a Captain etc, but to that I say...this is an AU :)

Anyway, let me know if you think I should continue with it, I think it's a pretty interesting idea that I could do a lot with but, it's up to you guys!


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